Hornets upset in semis as Tigers get revenge for 2022 finals loss
BRYANT -- For the first time in six seasons the 7A state football champion will not be the Bryant Hornets.
Bryant hosted Bentonville on Friday in its sixth-straight semifinal game, but could not repeat history as the Tigers shocked the Hornets at home, 52-35. The Hornets defeated Bentonville in the 2022 7A finals.
“It was a tough one,” said Bryant first-year Head Coach Quad Sanders. “I knew at some point our injuries would catch up to us. We didn’t do a good job of getting the next guy ready to go. But that is a great team and the same exact team we played last year. They had to come in and make a statement. They had to come in and avenge what they lost last year.”
Bryant sees a couple streaks end with the Black Friday loss to Bentonville, including its consecutive title game wins showing of five straight since 2018.
The loss is also the Hornets’ first playoff defeat since 2017.
Bryant began quickly Friday, with Myron Thrash trucking 15 yards for the game’s first score and an early 7-0 Hornets lead with 10:12 to go in the first quarter.
Bentonville would quickly answer, though, using a 1-yard run from Jason Gilmore to pull even at 7-7 still with nearly 7 minutes to tick in the first.
Luke Coon would make it
14-7 Tigers a drive later, collecting the pass from Carter Nye for the 11-yard score.
Thrash, though, would get back into action for the Hornets moments later, sprinting 70 yards for the score to even things again, this time at 14-14 with 3:52 still left in the opening frame.
Bentonville was just starting to heat up, however, as it scored a touchdown on its third straight series, this one coming via Gilmore run from 8 yards. Bentonville would lead 21-14 after one.
Both defenses began to take control throughout most of the second quarter as Bryant broke the scoreless frame with another Thrash running TD. The underclassman would bolt in from 26 yards to even things at 21-21 heading into the break.
Starting the second half with the ball, Bentonville would add its first 7 of 17 unanswered points as Nye hit Coon from 36 yards to lead 28-21 early in the third.
“That third quarter got away from us with the two quick scores and the field goal on the turnover,” Sanders said. “The ball could have bounced either way and it went their way in the third and they did what a good team should do.”
Nye would find CJ Brown less than 2 minutes later from 49 yards to lead Bryant 35-21 with 8:50 to go in the third. Bentonville’s Ryan Fernstorm added some needed insurance with a 25-yard boot, taking advantage of Bryant’s lone turnover on the night (fumble).
Bryant tried to gain some momentum on a 24-yard pass and catch from Jordan Walker to Kason Trickey, but the
Tigers were not going down this time.
Nye would find Coon again moments later, this time on a 21-yard strike for the 45-28 lead before Chris Ficklin added the Tigers final score, a 3-yard run to put Bentonville in front 52-28.
Bryant senior running back James Martin would add a score to his career stats, rushing in from 5-yards out in the final seconds of the game as the Hornets ended their 2023 campaign.
Bentonville will battle Northwest Arkansas rival Fayetteville in next weekend’s final after the Bulldogs knocked
off No. 2 Conway and Buck James 24-21. The loss ends James’ fivegame winning streak in the 7A title game that began in 2018 with Bryant.
Thrash led the Hornets with three scores and 126 yards on
the ground, carrying the rock only nine times.
Martin would show out in his final game as a Hornet, going for 113 yards and a score on 22 carries. Walker added 80 yards on keeps and designed runs as well.
“The running game did what the running game does,” Sanders said. “We can run on anybody.”
Through the air,
Walker was strong again, completing 14 of 26 passes for 206 yards and a score. Ratliff continued to be the go-to target for Walker, leading with 71 yards on four catches.
Senior Mytorian Singleton added three catches and 63 yards as well.
Nye finished 15 for 27 for 238 yards and four touchdowns. On the ground, Ficklin rushed 19 times for a team-high 73 yards and a score. Gilmore ended with two scores and 43 yards on 11 touches.
Bryant would outgain Bentonville by
100 yards on the night, eclipsing the 500-yard mark again in this season. Bryant also converted 24 first downs and rushed for 302 yards and four scores on the night.
“We just have to go back to the drawing board,” Sanders said. “We have to get back in the weightroom and get some more guys developed up front and fill some gaps where we are hurting. We will be returning a lot of guys, unlike this year. We were fortunate to compete as well as we did this year.”
The loss also ends the careers for many Bryant Hornets and multi-year state champion seniors.
“They don’t owe anybody anything,” Sanders said. “Those kids gave it their all for three years, some of them four years. I appreciate what those kids have done and what they leave behind to help keep the tradition rolling.”